In these frenzied days when churches are firmly locked and shopping malls
are eternally open, and there seems to be no escape from the despair-inducing
strains of white Christmas, I'm dreaming of a quiet retreat where I can
just sit still and breathe. En Burk and Allen Morgan, two artists who combine
their spiritual and aesthetic practices, have spent the better part of the
past year creating such an oasis of calm in a rented studio in a westend
warehouse. They are opening it to the public this evening and tomorrow afternoon
as a kind of holiday gift to the world-weary. The space glows with the light
of a hundred votive candles, which float from the ceiling. Weblike partitions
created from skeins of multicoloured woollen threads extend from ceiling
to floor, creating rainbow-like corridors and enclosures. Visitors can follow
the soft corridors around the perimeter of the room, pausing at various
candle-lit shrines that include a small, burbling fountain; a tent with
a crystal at its centre; and playful clusters of feathers, rocks, masks,
glass balls and mandalas woven by Burk from willow branches. At the centre
of the room is a large pyramidal tent with cushions arranged in a circle
on the floor. Don't be put off by the New Age overtones - the space is lovely
and the peace is heavenly